Automatic fire-alarm system.



W. N. BALLARD..

AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I2, I9I6- Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

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AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. I916.

1,242,312. Patented Oct. 9,1917.

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM N. BALLARD, OF KANSAS CITY,

KANSAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TO JAMES S. CUMMINS, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-ALARM SYSTEM.

Application filed July 12, 1916.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it'known that 1, WILLIAM N. Bauuun), a citizen of the United States. residing at Kansas City in the county of Vl'yarnlotto and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Alarm Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic the alarm systems wherein the rooms of a building are protected with a net work of cables held under tension and adapted to part and sound an alarm, when subjected to a predetermined temperature.

One object of my iiivention is to provide an ellicient alarm system of inexpensive construction, so that it mav be installed not only in lar 'e buildings but also in cottages and small business houses where the cost of other systems is prohibitive.

A further object is to provide an alarm system free of the objections incident to sprinkler systems, such as high cost of installation, liability to freezing and corrosive troubles, damaging goods by wetting the same, etc.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear, and inorder that said invention may be fully lllldOlStOOtl, reference will now be made t9 the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional perspective view showing two. stories of a building equipped with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a. detail front elevation of a weight and adjacent parts employed in car- .rying out the invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through line III of Fig. 2.

.Itig. 4 is a plan view of a twin sheave block employed in carrying out the inven tion.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of a buildingwith one of the roomsthereof equipped with a modified arrangement of cables.

Fig. 6 is a modified form of means for taking up slack in the cables.

A, designatesa building having upper and lower rooms B and'G, respectively.

1 designates a series of cables all but the initial one of'which are fixed at their endsto the. ceilings of the rooms B and by any suitable means, screw eyesfl being shown Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

Serial No. 108,852.

for that purpose. Each cable 1 is bent at an angle of ninety degrees at one or more points intermediate its ends, and said bent portions are connected to the bent portions of the, adjacent cables by suitable means, such as rings 3. The cables 1 are prevented from sagging unduly intermediate their ends by screw eyes 4, secured to the respective ceilings of the rooms B and C.

The initial cable 1 is secured at one end to a screw eye 2 and at its opposite end to a block :3 containing a sheave (3, around which a long cable? is bent. The long cable 7 is attached at its npperend to a screw eye 8 and passing downward around the sheave 6, and a sheave 9, extends through a tube 10 to the lower floor (J, where it bends around a sheave in each of the twin sheave blocks 11 and is attached to a screw eye 2 secured in the ceiling of the room 0. The arrangement of the cables 1 in the lower room C is the same as that in the upper room B. The sheave 9 is mounted in a block 12, secured to the adjacent wall of the room B.

13 designates a main cable for holding all of the at'orementioned cables under tension. The upper portion of the main cable 13 runs around a sheave of one of the blocks 11 and is attached to a screw eye 14 projecting from the adjacent wall of the room C. The lower end of the cable 13 is attached to a weight 13, which is heavy enough to hold allof the cables taut; r

The weight 15 extends loosely into a cup IGabove the bottom of which it is normally suspended by the main cable 13. The bot. tom of the cup 16 is provided with a suitable: cushion 17 to relieve the shock incident to the dropping of the weight 15 should any of the cables part. I

l8 designates a switch for closing an electric circuit 1%). Said switch 18 consists of a blade 20, projecting from the weight 15, and two spring contacts 21 secured to the tube 16 but; insulated therefrom. Each'contact 21 is connected to a terminal of the cireuit 11), which latter embodiesgongs 22 and 23. onc'of which is located within the building to notify the occupants thereof when a. fire occurs in any part of said building, the

' other being located outside of the building to notify people passing by. The circuit this lso, preferably, extended to thc neareat fire station to sound an alarl therein.

Each of the cables 1, consists preferably, of a fine wire united at intervals by fuses 25, arranged to part at a predetermined temperature and allow thencight 15 to drop and close the circuit 19, or said cables may be made in short {lengths united by fusible solder, or they may consist of inflammable material, such as ordinary cords, the main object beingto have them part when subjected to life and allow the weight 15 to drop and close the circuit 19.

By attaching the upper end of the cable 7 to the screw eye S and running it over the sheave 6 at an angle of ninety degrees and over the sheave 9 at an angle of forty-five degrees, seven and one-half pounds exerted on said cable? exerts a ten pound pull on the initial cable 1 attached to the block and by bending each cable 1 at an angle of ninety degrees between its ends and connecting' it to a bend of the adjacent cable. by a ring 3, a. ten pound pull is exerted on each of said cables 1.

By bending the main cable 13 at an angle of ninety degrees around its respective sheave in'one of the blocks 11, approximately the same tension exerted thereon by the weight 15 is transmitted to each of the ened cables in said rings 3.

cables 1 on the floor C. In other \vords,

if seven and one-half pounds is exerted-an said main cable 13, a proximately seven and one-half pounds w' I'beexerted on each cable ,If it is desired to increase the tens'ionon the lower cables v1, the upper portion ofthe cable 13 is bent over two sheaves, as iii the case of the upper portion of the cable '7, whereupon a seven and one-half pound Weight on,said cable 13 will exert approximately tenpounds on each cable 1, on the floor C. e

Compounding of the tension onthe cables 1 may be further increased by the arrange- ,ment disclosed at theright side of F i'g. 4-, which will hereinafter be referred to. Referring againto Fig. '1, the operation is substantially as'followsrshonlda cable 1 on either of the floors B and C part, it will permit; all'ofthe cables 1 on its respective floor torelax, whereupon the weight 15 immediatelydrops and closes the circuit 18.- "-sTacken.

If desiredsheaye blocks 11 may be substituted for the rings 3, to reduce the friction incident to the movement of the slack- 'Referring again to the modified form,

. the same floor of thebuildingA, separated by a partition F to showhow my system of wiring can be carried throughout various.

parts of'the building. V The arrangement of the-cables 1 in the room D is the same as disclosed in' room C of Fl .1, but in room E the cables 1' instead 0 extending clear across the room extend only partway across and those oneone side of the room are arbeing attached to a screw eye 2. while the opposite nd is attached to a ring 3". long cable 27 IS rove zigzag through the rings l.

and attached at one end in a ring -5" and at its opposite end to a screw eye '1 A long cable 29 is attached at one end to 'a' screw eye 30, and after bending at. approximately, ninety degrees around a ring 3 extends from the roonnl. into the room 1) through a tube 10 in -thcpartition l",

and on bending over the sheaves in two twin sheave blocks 11 at angles of ninetyttlegrces, issecured to the ceiling of said.- rooni D by ascrew eye 2.-

By bending the cabl=29"-at approximately, ninety degrees adjacent he semenppyes -30,

and extending the cable 27 Mi an angleof,

' fort Jivedegrees from said ninetyjdegree ang e and. bending it'ina series of ninety degree anglcs-where-it is connected to the short cables 1', seven and one-half p'oimtls exerted on. the'cable29, exerts vten pounds on cable QLwhich in turn xerts twelve and one-half' pounds on each cable 1", Thus while the wires in room D control the-ten sion Off the wires in room E,- theflatter wires are under greater tension than the ferment, l

The cablesl in the roon'i D are held'nnder tension by ,a longcable'T extending through a twin sheave block 1 1 ,-:'mdin tin n. isjh'eld ing through the twin sheave block- 11 and attached at its up r end to ascrew eyeQH. The lower end orthe'main cable 13' may be Weighted as in theic'ase of cable 13.

i under tension by a maln' cable' 13' extend Owing to the arrangement of'thd cables on thevarioustfloors and-the line cit-cables 7 i and-13"-leading down .to the weight 15; said weight controls thecablestoii-cach' lim t-in dependently of .tlie' cables onth (unwoun -1 hence when acablefonone floor partsithe' cables- :on said floor irelax amtrallow-the weight to-drop: and some thefalannflwithdut If desi d'a'spring iii' may 'besubstituted fortheweight 1-5 'a'lt huge I- consider-tho 'latter'morereliab e th n the former.

While I have shown-.theqcabls arrangdd iin more or less symmetrical remit is obvii ous'thatthey may be extended aroundstaii? other changes may fall within the Having thus V be'madeas 'pro rl-y sipiritand scope of'the. cliii ms. escnb'ed y 7 ventiomwhat I claim and desireby Letters Patent; is 1 1. In an automaticalarmy =SB1'18S o1- cables arranged at angles of ninety degrees intermediate their ends, means for securing system therein and leading icables, under tension, and a circuit closer which is closed by said means should any of the cables become slack.

2. In an automatic alarm, a series of cables arranged at angles of ninety degrees intermediate their ends, means for securing said ends to the ceiling of a building, rings connecting the adjacent angles of said cables, a main cable fixed at its upper end "and bent adjacent said end at an angle of ninety degrees, means operably-connecting said main cable at its angle to the series of cables, a weight connected to the lower end of said main cable, and a circuit closer controlled by said weight.

3. In an automatic alarm, a system of cables arranged at angles in the stories of a building adjacent the ceilings thereof, a long cable in each upper story connected to the to the system in the story below to normal y retain said systems under tension, a main cable operablyconnected to the lowest of said long cables to retain the long cables under tension, means for retaining said main cable under tension, and a circuit closer controlled by said means 4. In an automatic alarm, a system of cables arranged in the stories of a building adjacent the ceilings thereof, a long cable in each upper story connected to the system therein and leading to the system in the story below to normally retain said systems under tension, :1 main cable fixed at its u' per end and bent near said end at an ang 0, means operably connccting said main cable at its angle to the lowermost long cable,

' means for retaining said main cable under tension, and a circuit closer controlled by said means, said circuit closer closing an alarm circuit. i

5. In an automatic alarm, a system of cables in the different stories of a building adjacent the ceilings thereof, a long;cable in each upper story bent at angles and con nected to the system therein and leading to the system inthe stor below to normally retain said systems un er tension, means to which the ends of each long cable are fixed, a main cable operably-connected to the lowest. of said long cables to retain the long cables under tension, a weight for retaining said main cable under tension, and a circuit closer controlled by said weight, said circuit closer closing an alarm circuit.

6. In an automatic alarm, a series of cables in the different stories of a building arranged at angles intermediate their ends, a long cable in each upper story connected to the series of cables therein and leading to the series of cables in the story below, fusible means embodied in said cables, means for securing the ends of the cables to the ceiling of a building, means connecting the adjacent angles of said cables, a main cable fixed at its upper end and operably-connected to the lowest of the long cables, means for holding said main cable under tension, and a circuit closer controlled by said means.

7. In an automatic alarm, a series of cables arranged at angles intermediate their ends, eyes projecting from the ceilings of a building and to which the ends of the cables are fixed, fusible means embodied in said cables, means connecting the adjacent angles of said cables, a main cable fixed at its upper end and bent adjacent said end at an angle, a twin sheave block operably-connecting said main cable at its angle to an angle of the Series of cables, a weight connected to the lower end of said main cable, and a circuit closer controlled by said weight.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM N. BALLARD.

Witnesses:

F. G. FISCHER, L. J. Freeman. 

